The Game
by Swift Quill
Summary: When someone sends an email to both Josh and Donna, they are pulled into a strange game and wild plot to unite them...Please R&R. Final chapter released...
1. Chapter 1

**The Game**

**Chapter 1-Notification **

Disclaimer: I do not access and excersise property statements and/or declarations and assumptions in any way from any terrential gerosity or animosity connected with, associated or concocentated in any form of concentration or institutionalism the West Wing and all associated or connected characters andthemes.

Now that that's over with, here's my first JD fic for all you JD fans! Have fun with it, and PLEASE don't try to email any of the addresses below; I'm sure the White House would catch on...lol :-) Anyway, here's the first chapter. And for any fans to the Spangled Glory Series (Secrets and Revelations), I will be working on it later... Now here's the story!

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It was obvious. Josh + Donna equals perfect. Everyone at the White House knew it. But getting them together would be…difficult. So it was that fateful day when someone had a spark of thought that "The Game" was born. Two people in the White House received an email that very day. It was from an address neither of them knew; thegamewhitehouse.gov. 

_Dear Fine Worker, _

_You have been selected to play a game, titled simply "The Game". This is NOT spam; don't delete. This game will test some of the skills that you have as a worker here at the White House. Omy name is The Organizer . I will be organizing and hosting this game. PLEASE don't delete this email; if you participate, you'll be glad you did._

_Only one other person in the White House has been chosen, so you will compete against one another. You may NOT speak of this to ANYONE, anyone at all, or it will ruin the game. Not even your closest colleague._

_The only instruction you have at this point is to come up with your Game Name, or the name you will be referred to as while playing. This name should NOT be your real name. Make it something interesting, and email it to __thegamewhitehouse.gov__. This is The Game's official email address._

_Lastly, this game won't interrupt your work. In fact, it will almost help it along. And remember, DON'T spill the beans if you wanna have fun!_

_The Organizer_

What was this all about? Spam, probably. Josh almost deleted the message, but then decided he would play along for a bit. After all, only someone working with or associated with the White House could get an email at www.whitehouse.gov. But everyone's email was simple. jlymanwhitehouse.gov. tzieglerwhitehouse.gov. However, thegamewhitehouse.gov could be anyone. Josh contemplated for a second, then emailed his response in.

_Dear Spammer,_

_I don't know what kind of lame joke this is, but I'm only participating because I would like to know who's behind it. My little name thing will be "democratguy". I know, stupid. Oh, and by the way, I don't "wanna have fun"._

_---Josh Lyman_

Donna hit the Send/Receive button in a bad mood. After she had finished reading the newest email, she had a huge grin across her face. Eagerly, she typed her response.

_Dear Organizer,_

_This is SO cool! I can't wait to begin .I think my Game Name will be sunnysideup, since I'm feeling pretty happy right now! I can't wait for further instructions. Who are you…and who is the other contestant…_

/Donna Moss\

What would happen next?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-An Assignment**

Hi, I've FINALLY decided to update :-) But this is my first JD fic so it will prolly be pretty poor...sorry. But please give me a lot of feedback because I want to be able to write _good_ JD fics and I know I lack something...but I need your help with what. So please comment on my ideas. Thanks, and enjoy! (Although you prolly won't)

_

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Dear Players,_

_We have accepted your Game Names of democratguy and sunnysideup. Now you know who you're up against. For completing this task, you have each received 50 pts. Democratguy, you are hereby fined 10 pts for being negative about The Game. Sunnysideup, you are hereby awarded 10 pts for enthusiasm. The Game Scores are now as follows: Democratguy-40 pts. Sunnysideup-60 pts. You have both received new email addresses, __democratguywhitehouse.gov__, and __sunnysideupwhitehouse.gov__. You will be emailed your account passwords in a later email. Now it's time for the second round. Please write a short paragraph that will intimidate your opponent. The more intimidating the writing, the more points awarded. Email this to your opponent's new address. Good luck,_

_The Organizer_

Josh snorted. A paragraph? Pathetic. He began to type.

Donna grinned. A paragraph? Cool. She began to type.

"Dear Sunnysideup…"

"Democratguy…"

"I am the best. You can't beat me."

"I hope we will be friends."

"I am so good, that you shall be intimidated by my writing."

"I'm sure that we'll get along great."

"The end."

"So please, let's have fun and work together in this Game."

Each stopped and looked at what they had written. Each realized how terrible their words were. But neither had any more to say about it. They each sent their emails and waited for the response. It came more quickly than either had expected.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-Hunt One**

Another chapter. Again, feedback happiness. So please review:-)**  
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Dear Players,_

_We have received your paragraphs, and forwarded them on to the other player. Let me tell you, I have never seen such poor writing in my life, and that is saying something. Now, before I continue to give you any more information, I would like to stress the importance of NOT telling anyone about this game, not even your closest friend. Also, you should have received the passwords for your new email accounts. Please do not change these passwords. If you do we will punish you severely. Now on to the awarding of points. Democratguy, you have done quite poorly. However seeing as you seemed to grasp the sense of the assignment, you receive 5 points._

"Wahoo!" Josh stopped himself. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

_Sunnysideup, you have totally missed the point of the assignment, and you have lost 10 points. So the scores are now: Democratguy-45. Sunnysideup-50. Now it is time for you to get your first real assignment. It is a hunt, one similar to the hunts you will participate in later in the game. What you are looking for is a small golden ball. It is about the size of a peanut, and it is hidden in the bullpen copyroom._

At least that's the message Josh was sent. Donna's said that the ball was in the coffee room. However the next part of the message was the same for both: _Whoever gets it first is awarded 30 points. So go now!_

Each jumped up from their desk and ran to the respective room where the golden ball had supposedly been hidden. While Josh searched under the copier, Donna searched in the Styrofoam coffee cups. Of course, no golden balls were hidden at all, so both assumed that the other player had gotten there first.

Meanwhile, the Organizer's plan had worked just fine. He (or she; but for the purposes of discussing him/her, I will simply use "he") had been testing the waters, seeing how involved the players were. Seeing as both had hopped from their desks as soon as they received the email, the Organizer judged that they would do a good deal to do well in the game. He was right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hi all, here's a new chapter. And thank you sooo much for the nice review Shark116! As for you, miss jasadin...all I can say is...UPDATE!:-)

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Up until this point, both Josh and Donna had received the same emails, save for a few details altered. But now that the Game was in full swing, it was necessary to send separate emails to each. Each email, however, was addressed, "Dear Players," giving both Donna and Josh the illusion that they were receiving the same emails. 

The day after the hunt for the ever-elusive golden ball, they each received an email stating that the other player had found the ball. The idea here was to make each believe that they were losing, so as to stimulate them to keep playing. It was a clever plan, and worked on Donna especially well.

The next day, each had separate values for their scores, yet each was fully deceived and involved in the game. It wasn't until the next week, though, that they actually got another assignment. But this time, the assignments were a bit more complex, and they differed from each other.

Josh's task was simply to go to filing room 3B in the bullpen, shut the door and lock it. He was to remain in the room until someone else came into the room, at which point he would have to leave.

Donna's task was to write a letter to an unknown person, inviting them to have drinks at the bar across the street after work. She was to seal the letter, and go to filing room 3B, where she would wait for the first person to come along and give them the letter.

Josh sighed, and grabbed a bag of his favorite gummy bears from his desk. Who knew how long he'd wait in the filing room? And so he entered the room, and promptly locked it, as he was instructed. He realized no one could get into the room with the door locked…

Donna slipped out a piece of teddy bear stationary, just as Josh slipped…on some files on the floor.

"Aaargh!" Josh screeched as he slid into a cabinet, which, being old and tattered, toppled, spilling paper everywhere.

Donna began to write, "Dear Friend".

Josh watched in horror as the all too clichéd, see-it-in-every-movie domino effect set to work on the file cabinets in the room.

Donna began to pencil out the body of the letter.

Josh ducked against a wall to avoid a flying file cabinet.

Donna read over the letter, went back and made some revisions. Who was going to get this thing anyway?

When it seemed like it was all over, Josh stood up. Which was his mistake. He bashed his head against a shelf overhead, emptying its contents to the floor amidst the other mess.

"_Donna Moss_," Donna signed hastily, and sealed the envelope. She headed for the filing room.

Josh just lay amidst a mountain of paper, moaning, when suddenly, he heard the doorknob begin to turn. The person obviously couldn't get in. Josh leapt up and unlocked the door. Just at this moment, the door flew open and Donna fell through. Josh quickly caught hold of her so she wouldn't fall down.

She grabbed onto his arm for support. Josh felt a tingling sensation go up his arm, and in every other place she had touched him. But soon the spell was broken, and Donna hastily rose, straightening her jacket and extending an arm.

_What the hell does she want? To shake hands? Maybe I'm supposed to kiss her hand? _Josh had to stare at the hand for a few moments before it dawned upon him that a big envelope was in it.

"Oooh…" he muttered. Donna heard, and suppressed a giggle as Josh took the letter.

"Umm…thanks." Josh muttered, and left the filing room hastily. Whew. That was…exciting. Josh slipped his hand under the seal of the envelope and opened it carefully. But before he could read it, Donna entered the office.

"I hate having to act like your mother, but go clean up the mess you made."

And the look of fear and bewilderment that came onto Josh's face was enough to make her burst out laughing. Which is exactly what she did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I think I'm getting better at this, so tell me what you think :-) Also I just had a great idea for a new JD fic...well its not only JD, its also CZ and SA. It would be a three part series, one JD, one CZ and one SA. The series would be called "The Cupid Files" and I have only to work out the last details before I start posting on it. So look out for that!**  
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Josh sipped a little more of his margarita just as Donna entered the bar, looking frazzled and tense. As soon as she noticed Josh in the corner however, her expression softened and she smiled. Josh returned it. 

The moment was broken, however, by a heavily cloaked figure storming into the bar and nearly bowling Donna over. It sat at the bar and ordered a drink. Donna glared at the figure angrily and Josh laughed a bit. He beckoned Donna over to him and ordered her a drink.

"Hi Josh," she smiled warmly.

"Hey Donna." Josh grinned at her. "So…why'd you invite me anyway?"

"Oh, I dunno…just thought it might be fun and I wasn't doing anything tonight, so you were the first person that popped into my head. Any problem with it?"

There wasn't. "Yeah, ok, but why'd you write me a _letter_? Whatever happened to just asking me out to the bar?"

Asking him out! Donna hadn't thought of it quite that way. "Well, I thought it'd be polite."

"In the old days people did it verbally."

"In the old days people wrote letters to invite them to tea parties."

"Good point."

"Yeah."

"One Sam Adams here!" called the bartender suddenly, and Donna raised a hand, sheepishly grabbing the foaming mug. Josh stopped her hand on the way to her pocket, and pulled out his own wallet instead. He paid the bartender, then surveyed the bar scene.

There was one woman staring at them, smiling intently, as though she could sense something special about them and she liked it. Next to her was a fat man in his mid-twenties guzzling down beer. Next was a rather old man who kept grinning at Josh and Donna. And of course the cloaked figure was at the end.

After making some small talk, the conversation lulled to a stop between Josh and Donna. Then all of a sudden, the bartender brought them a Bloody Mary. It had a cherry shaped like a heart and two pink straws, as well as a picture of Cupid on the glass.

"This is from someone anonymous in the bar." The bartender gestured to the rest f the seats, but for some reason everyone had emptied out of the bar and they were alone.

The bartender returned to his work, and left Josh and Donna to the drink. Donna took the first sip, declaring it "delicious", so Josh took a sip too. They staggered their sips so they weren't ever sipping at the same time, which was of course against the whole idea of the drink. But finally, they messed up their system, and both leaned in at the same time.

Each withdrew quickly, blushing, and couldn't meet the other in the eye. Donna smiled weakly, and Josh realized it was time for him to go. He kissed her quickly on the forehead without thinking, and then all but ran out of the bar. Donna sat there shell-shocked for a full twenty minutes before she managed to get up and go.

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What do you think? Who sent them the drink? Tell me what you think in reviews! (I love reviews and they make me want to write more.)  



	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

You guys rock! You make me feel so good with all your good reviews and so I have decided to personally respond to all my reviewers and thank them. If you read this and dont review then cursed are you! Ok that was a bit much but I still love reviews!**  
**So review! I hope you all like this chapter, tell me what you think.

_

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Dear Players,_

_You have done a fine job with your latest task, and each receive 200 points. Next comes a little Christmas gift-giving, as the holiday is coming soon. You will each be assigned to give a gift to the same person. This person will be questioned as to how they liked their gifts. The gift he/she preferred wins 50 points for its giver. You may NEVER discuss the Game with anyone, including the person you must give the gift to. When you give the gift, the person will not be expecting it. They do not know about the Game and so as not to affect their judgment they must never know so don't spill the beans! You will receive the name of our chosen judge in a separate email, coming as soon as we pick who they shall be. In order to throw you off, we have alerted members of the White House to give gifts to each other so you have no idea who the other player is._

_The Organizer_

And of course, that separate email was different for each contestant. Josh was given Donna's name, and Donna Josh's. So now it came to the true question…what to get?

Donna considered a lot of things. She decided to brainstorm the things Josh liked. For one, she knew he liked gummy bears. And coffee. And (for some reason or other) he had had a recent interest in painting.

What did Donna like, exactly? Josh leaned back in his chair. He knew she adored flowers. And she also loved getting cards. And she was very into what she wore. So…maybe one of those things?

Donna stepped quietly into Josh's office and smiled at him warmly, yet shyly.

"Umm…Josh? Can I step out of the office for a few minutes? I have to bring some stuff to someone on the Hill."

"Oh, yeah, no problem Donna."

She smiled at him, and turned to leave. He wanted to stop her and talk to her more, but he didn't have to. She turned around herself. "And Josh—thanks for coming yesterday…it was…wonderful."

They both blushed, and Donna scurried out, sliding on her old jacket and putting on a tattered hat. Soon she was gone. Josh decided to take advantage of her temporary absence and rush to the mall; he was to give the gift today, according to the letter!

Of course, Donna had had the same thought, and was really not at the Hill, but the Sunrise and Sunset Local Mall (or SSLM), a popular mall in DC. There she was shopping around for the perfect gift for Josh.

Josh stepped out of his car to the SSLM's sliding, automatic front doors, not knowing that Donna was inside. He hadn't stepped a few feet into the mall when he was knocked over by a large man holding a canister of something brown and ugly.

Donna was more light on her feet, and was already on the top floor of the mall, looking for a candy store. She found one called "Sweet Redemption", and stepped in. The inside was colored all pink, with hearts against the wall. Valentine's Day wasn't for another two months. What gave? Josh was looking for a flower shop on the upper story of the mall. He soon passed by one that seemed to be good enough. "Flower and Candy Shop" read the little sign on their front door. "Hi," said a store clerk dressed all in pink. "Welcome to Sweet Redemption."

Donna went to the cashier's desk. "Hi, can I get gummy bears here?"

"Sure, sweetie." The cashier gestured towards a separate section of the store, and Donna hurriedly hiked over to what turned out to be the candy section of the huge store.

Josh came in just as Donna had disappeared, and headed as well for the cashier's station.

"Can I get flowers around here?"

"Course, hon, just head over to that section." The cashier pointed tiredly at an aisle that had leaves and petals bursting from the edge of it. "Yeah, thanks," Josh muttered, and sprinted down the aisle.

_CRASH!_ Leaves and petals fluttered out of the aisle all over the store. Donna, who was perusing the candy section, got a few light pink rose petals in her hair. She didn't notice them at the time, but they didn't look bad—in fact, they made her quite beautiful. A store assistant rushed past her in search of what had caused the accident.

Donna sighed and looked at the gummy bears. They were all pink. What was with this place? She silently unsealed a bag, and slipped her hand in to taste one of them.

"Hey!" she heard a store clerk yell suddenly. She dropped the bag of gummy bears in fright, covering the floor with the little treats. But when she looked up, there was no store clerk there.

The "hey" was in fact aimed at Josh, who was trying to climb a shelf to get a floral arrangement on the top level.

"Quit it," the store clerk groaned, and brought a ladder. Josh put his foot on the first rung. "Oh no," laughed the clerk, and pushed him aside. She climbed up the ladder and carefully picked up the bouquet for Josh.

Meanwhile, Donna scraped the bears into the bag, and sealed it up quickly. She heard footsteps coming her way, so, temporarily not thinking and needing to get rid of the evidence, she tossed the bag over the top into the next aisle—which was the flower aisle. Unfortunately the bag was poorly sealed, and when the clerk turned to hand Josh his bouquet, he was covered in pink stickies.

A shop assistant came around the corner just after Donna had thrown the bag, and asked her if she would like to sample anything. Blushing, Donna pointed at the gummy bears. After trying them she declared them the best thing on earth.

"But why are they pink? Aren't there regular colors? It's not Valentine's Day yet…"

The assistant laughed. "This is a store for _couples_ to buy things for each other. What you just purchased is a love token."

Donna blushed quickly and rushed out of the store. _A love token!_ Donna moved through the mall to an art store, which was right next to Melman's Fine Clothing Store. She ached to go buy herself a new jacket and hat…but on her salary it was out of the question.

Meanwhile, Josh had just made his purchase, and gotten a card shaped like a heart to go with it. He headed on for Melman's, what he had heard was the best clothing store in the SSLM.

Once inside, he browsed for a nice business jacket. he eventually settled upon a beautiful blue suit with buttons all the way up and lots of pockets. It would look fine on Donna, and the size seemed about right. To be sure, Josh tried it on. Unfortunately he forgot to change back when he left the changing room.

Donna was just checking out some art sets for Josh when she heard the alarm go off next door. Someone was trying to rob Melman's! Actually Josh had walked out of the store to get a drink at the fountain, forgetting that he was wearing a very feminine business suit that belonged to the store.

By the time Donna had left the art shop to investigate, the commotion was over, and Josh was in the changing room again, trying on some hats. "Just some idiot who walked out of the store _wearing_ a female business suit. Like we wouldn't notice!" the store clerk started. His partner laughed. "Yeah, he surely stood out as the gayest guy in the store!" They both laughed for a while, but Donna was done at the mall and Josh would be wondering where she had gone.

Right after she had left, Josh came out of the changing room his arms full of hats and the business suit. He marched proudly up to the register.

"I'm sorry, sir, we don't sell to homosexuals," the cashier joked. Josh sneered, but when he put down the suit and an expensive mink hat, the clerk seemed to reconsider. On 40 commission, this could be well worth it…

After Josh had paid more for the clothes than he ever had hoped to spend at one time in his life, he headed for his car. On the way to the White House, he was forced to stop at a site where a kayak had fallen in the road. As soon as the kayak was removed, Josh sped ahead, cutting off the car in front of him, which happened to be Donna's.

Donna swung to the left to avoid an accident, but nearly bumped into a car on that side. Josh started to skid, and every car on the highway within a 500 foot radius was forced to do so if they wished to remain on the road. Due to some miracle, everyone was safe, and the long day of shopping was finished.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Josh leapt into his office chair just as Donna was returning from the Hill and jiggling his doorknob.

"No entry allowed!"

"Josh, unlock this right away. NO locked doors. It's impolite."

"That's interesting. Guess I'm gonna be impolite then."

"But Josh…I have something to give you."

The door opened and Josh's head popped out. Donna was holding a box wrapped in a festive floral wrapping paper, tied up neatly with a red ribbon.

"Ummm…can you give me a second Donna?

"Sure, Josh."

The door slammed shut. Donna heard some crashing noises, a loud metal thunk, and the sound of splattering papers. At this point, she had to intervene.

"Josh…" Donna pushed open his office door, only to see that he had wrecked his bookcase, knocked over a metal desk lamp, and succeeded in making a big mess all over the office. "Josh!"

"Oh hi, Donna…nice hair." Josh had just finished tossing a heavy sheet over a lumpy pile in the back of his office. "Sorry about that. Now what did you need?"

"I wanted to give you this!" Donna thrust the package towards Josh. In a very quick shredding of paper, the present was open. Donna closed her eyes as the office floor became covered in scraps of paper.

"A painting set! This…this is great!"

"Yes…Josh, what were you doing in here?"

"Umm…just reorganizing. Nothing important…"

"Right…so organized."

Suddenly, a door on a cabinet glided open a crack.

"What's in there, Josh?"

"No!" Josh yelled and leapt toward her. "No-oo-oooo!" He screamed as he tripped and flew into his desk, scattering everything. He had also dropped the paint set, and a bottle had spilled on the floor. Donna, acting quickly, opened the cabinet, only to find a set of beautiful clothes and flowers.

"Josh! What's all this?"

"Presents," he grunted.

"For whom?" she asked firmly.

"You," he managed.

"For…me?" Donna seemed surprised. "Oh Josh, it's wonderful!" she cried, and spun around holding the suit. It flapped in Josh's face, but he didn't say anything.

"Isn't it?"

"Oh, and Josh—here." She handed him the gummy bears. That's when the realization struck him.

"Hold on a second." Josh knew these gummy bears. They weren't just any old gummy bears. He knew them from somewhere. He began to stroke his chin theatrically, as if it would help him to think. He was just hitting upon where he had seen them when Donna screamed.


	8. Chapter 8

Heh. Its been a year since I updated. I look back at this work and I can't help but feel that it's terrible writing, and immature...but you know what, you all seemed to like it, so here's the finale! I hope this gives you some closure...while I don't know if I'll write any more fics, I hope you enjoy this, possibly my last ever chapter. Sorry it couldn't be better. Review for any comments :) Enjoy...

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"What's wrong Donna? You're screaming," Josh pointed out, perhaps not terribly intuitive in the situation. Donna merely pointed towards the door of the office. Josh swiveled around, and was face to face with a crowd of people. CJ, Toby, Sam, Leo, and even the President, all holding up a large banner. It read, "Congratulations Josh and Donna!"

"Congratulations for what?" Josh asked inquisitively, comforting Donna by gently stroking her back.

"For _that_," someone said, pointing. Josh hurriedly removed his arm from Donna.

"For what?"

"For winning the game of course," CJ grinned.

"So it was _you_!" Donna hadn't spoken in a few minutes but this comment was quite loud. Sam stepped forward. "Actually, it was all of us."

"All…all of you?"

"Absolutely," added Leo.

"We knew you were perfect for each other…it was just a matter of getting you together. So we created The Game as a pretext for the purpose of bringing you two together."

It was shocking. Unprecedented. A group of co-workers had gone to great pains to do this for Josh and Donna. The more the story unfolded, tales of fake golden balls, special email addresses, and spies in bars, the less it mattered to Josh and Donna. What mattered was…well, that their friends cared this much about them to make such effort to bring them together. Josh and Donna turned to one another, and brief eye contact was all it took.

The kiss would be with them for the rest of their lives.

THE END

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I hope you enjoyed it:) 


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